Spring-fork for cycles and other vehicles.



v A. W. WALL. SPRING FORK FOR CYCLES AND OTHER VEHICLES.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 7, 1909.

984,787., Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l. 1 d 6 1 A. W. WALL. SPRING FORK FOR OYOLES AND OTHER VEHICLES.

ARPLIOATION FILED AUG. 7, 1909;

Patented Feb.21, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v F I c..- 2

ARTHUR WALL, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

SPRING-FORK FOR CYCLES AND OTHER VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, lfilll.

Application filed August 7, 1909. Serial No. 511,738.

To all whom 'it' may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR WILLIAM WALL, a subject of the Kingdom of Great Britain, residing at Roe Motor W'orks, Aston Road, Birminghann'in the county of Warwick, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Belating to Spring-Forks for Cycles and other Vehicles, of which the following is a specifioation.

This invention relates to certain improvements in or relating to spring forks for cycles, motor cycles and the like and it has for its purpose to eliminate certain disadvantages which have manifested themselves with the usual type of spring fork, which yields in one direction only, the present invention being characteristic in that the wheel is capable of displacement in any direction in the plane of the wheel but in no other. This is effected by the provision of springs supplemented by a special arrangement of sliding and pivotal connections which latter permit of the universal movement of the springs.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried into practice reference may be had to the appended explanatory sheet of drawings, on which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a spring fork constructed according to the present improvements. Fig. 2' is a front elevation of the device shown by Fig. l, with the mudguard removed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the means adopted for attaching the wheel spindle to the spring. Fig. 4 is'an enlarged view of the hereinafter described guide tube and member.

In an embodiment of this invention such as illustrated by the drawings, each extremity a of the wheel spindle is mounted at the inner end Z) of a fiat scroll or curved spring B, the outer extremity b of such springs B being let into the bottom portion 0 of the fork blades C or in cases where a double spring is used on each side, the outer extremities of such springs being advantageously continued as far as the fork crown for attachment to the front and rear respec tively of the forks which latter may finish in the form of an inverted V.

In front of the steering head D and parallelly attached by suitable brackets at (Z to turn therewith is located one or more rods or tubes 6 to form a guide for a member adapted to slide thereon, such members f being extended in a downward direction to provide appropriate abutmcnts f for a transverse pivot g. This transverse pivot 9 forms a fulcrum for duplex side links it h which are continued to support the wheel spindle. Such side links 7t are rigidly connected at their upper extremities by means of a cross strut 7L2, which construction renders the two links it incapable of independent relative movement and thereby prevents lateral movement of the wheel in the fork. The outer links it are provided for the purpose of supplementing the links it in their carriage of the spindle a and to enhance the rigidity of the structure.

It will be readily understood that a rearward displacement of the front wheel will be mainly taken up by the movement of the aforesaid side links it 72. around their upper fulcrum g, the remaining motion being absorbed by the sliding movement of the guide member f whereas in the case of an up wardly directed motion practically all the movement is taken up by the guide member f. Any shock in an intermediate direction is equally well provided for by the concurrent operation of the movements. It will. be obvious that shocks will be taken up in a more efficient manner than heretofore by reason of the shock absorbing medium being able to yield in any required direction, while at the same time the wheel is positively guided and able to follow such direction without undue strain on the wheel spindle.

When assembling the parts, the wheel and side links it h are placed in position and the guide member f placed over its tube 6, the fulcrum 9 being then attached and finally the guide tube 6 bolted to the upper bracket at supporting same.

I do not restrict myself to the details set forth, as these may be modified without departing from the nature of the invention, while the invention may be applied to wheels other than the front one.

Having now described my invention I declare that what I claim is z-- 1. In a motor cycle a steering head, a fork, curved springs attached at one end to the lower extremities of said fork, a wheel axle mounted in the other ends of the springs and supplementary means connected to the wheel axle and slidably connected to the ingly mounted on said guides and yieldsteering head, whereby the wheel can yield 1 ingly carrying the upper extremities of said in any direction. supplementary fork.

2. In a motor cycle a steering head, a In witness whereof I have hereunto set 5 main forillz, curved springs attaghed atf one my hand in the presence of two witnesses. 15

end to t e lower extremities 0 said ork, a wheel axle mounted in the other ends of ARTHUR TALL said curved springs, supplementary forks Witnesses: mounted on said axle, guid'es mounted in ROWLAND L. GooLD,

10 front of the crown tube, and members slid- WALTER H. E. BARTLAM. 

